Avionica's Iridium Satcom Certified for B-737s

The FAA has granted the Avionics Support Group (ASG) a STC (supplemental type certificate) for Avionica's Iridium-based satellite communications system.  The company says a similar STC should be available for B-757s as well.

Miami Air, Avionica's launch customer recently began installing the system on its airplanes, and Continental Airlines, its newest satLINK customer, will do the same soon.

Avionica's president, Raul Segredo said the product, dubbed satLINK, "is an excellent, affordable communications solution for airlines flying outside the range of HF stations, and even for Inmarsat-equipped aircraft flying polar routes."

According to Avionica, the FAA is expected to certify Iridium's system for ATC communications this coming May that will make its system an attractive alternative for that function as well as operational and administrative purposes.

On an aircraft flight deck, the system can be installed with either a dedicated handset, or integrated into the aircraft's regular audio system.  There is also a cabin handset option that uses VoIP (voice over Internet protocol) technology over a wireless LAN (local area network). Each aircraft can be addressed with a unique telephone number.

The system not only provides an Iridium connection, Avionica says, but also manages communications traffic, routing it based on network availability and criticality, to ensure the most economical transmission of data.  It claims that since over 60% of ACARS transmissions occur on the ground, significant savings can be achieved by routing them over 802.11 wireless.

Avionica also asserts that since ACARS is a shared service, as more customers are signed under its flat-fee contracts, its availability can only decline; Iridium avoids this problem because its data channels are dedicated.

Besides 802.11 wireless, the system provides gateway connectivity between a variety of aircraft communications network types, including ARINC 429, ARINC 618, ARINC 619 and Ethernet, by bridging all of them to Iridium and to each other.  An optional dedicated audio channel is also included.  

SatLink can provide GPS position data to the Ethernet bus, as well as an 802.11 cabin wireless access point.  02-08-2007.

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